Fluorescents

18

" So you're on the prowl wondering whether she left already or not"

I gaze up at the almost unrecognizable man as he strums his guitar and allows his voice to echo throughout the room. My mind becomes clouded with thoughts about him and I watch and listen, taking in and overanalyzing every lyric.

"Leather jacket, collar popped like antennae Never knowing when to stop" he sings and my mind travels to daydreams of James Dean who's collar was always popped highly in order to express his bad boy image.

" Sunglasses indoors, par for the course" Alex continues to sing and I think about how he always seems to have his aviators with him, whether indoors or outdoors. I never thought much of it but I assume it just adds on to the bad boy image he's keen on adding to his fame and reputation.

Derek looks away from his phone and gazes at me as my attention is set on the man in the front of the room. He rustles in his spot and I gaze towards him before he looks away and continues to gaze down at his phone. So far I've been enjoying their music and I'm glad I ignored Derek's comment from earlier and chose to pay attention to them.

" And she calls the folks who run this her oldest friends" Alex continues on and I revert my attention back to him and the music spilling from his fingertips & lips. My mind instantly captures the lyrics and begins to analyze them like some sort of critic. " sipping a drink and laughing at imaginary jokes" I find myself relating to this character. Simply laughing and going along, trying to make herself comfortable in a situation just to cover over her stress and melancholy.

" As all the signals are sent, her eyes invite you to approach" I gaze down at his fingertips strumming the guitar but eventually my eyes trail up until they make their way towards his face. My breath hitches in my throat when our eyes meet but before I can react he looks away and continues to strum the guitar, raising his voice and allowing the emotion to spill with every word he speaks.

" And it seems as though those lumps in your throat. That you just swallowed have got you going." I gaze at him as he nods his head and continues to strum his guitar, looking down at the floor and the walls beside him as if he's almost trying to ignore me and the people sitting in front of him. The last lyric seems so distant from the Alex that I know. The man in the songs is obviously struck with a nervous feeling from approaching this girl but I can't seem to relate that man back to Alex." Come on, come on, come on Come on, come on, come on Number one party anthem." he sings continuing to nod his head and gaze at the floor. My body is numb and completely captivated by the man sitting 10 feet away from me. In this moment he seems so different, almost unrecognizable. His rude actions and pompous behavior from earlier seem almost like a moment I produced with my own imagination. I never expected to see him so disconnected from the world and so connected to his music. I originally assumed he was in it for the fame, money and sex but watching him sit and sing makes me realize how cold yet passionate this man can be.

A/N: ( IMPORTANT FOR STORYLINE) just in case y'all don't know already Number One Party Anthem is about a man searching for the right song to approach a woman he's intrigued by

What seems like a short time goes by and they continue to perform a couple more songs before the radio host thanks them for their time and we begin to depart.

" That took forever." Derek groans as we make our way towards the exit. He gazes down at me and I simply shrug my shoulders not trying to admit that I enjoyed myself. I'm still not completely trustworthy towards Derek and I'm not even sure if I ever want to admit to anyone that I enjoyed hearing Alex sing.

" That went quite well." Jamie comments as we continue to make our way towards the front entrance of the station.

" That was a right bodge job." Alex groans in his spot before pulling out his flask and taking another swig, his eyes already groggy from the ones before the show. His face contorts towards the liquor and he lets out a breath before taking another swig as his bandmates stare at him disapprovingly.